How to Play Spades

Chapters
  1. 0:00 Intro
  2. 0:03 Four players, two teams
  3. 0:12 Thirteen cards each
  4. 0:21 Bid the tricks you will win
  5. 0:33 Nil: bid to win nothing
  6. 0:44 Follow the suit led
  7. 0:53 Spades beat every suit
  8. 1:04 Spades must be broken
  9. 1:15 Make your bid: 10 per trick
  10. 1:26 Watch your bags
  11. 1:38 Coming soon: Deal Circle Spades
  12. 1:49 Play it free

Spades is a trick-taking card game for four players in two teams of partners. Each player gets 13 cards and bids how many tricks they will win. Spades are always trump. A team that wins at least its combined bid scores 10 points per bid trick; one that falls short loses them. The first team to 500 wins.

Transcript

  1. Spades is a card game for four players in two teams. Your partner sits opposite you.
  2. Each player is dealt thirteen cards. Aces are high, twos are low, and spades are always trump.
  3. Before play, everyone bids how many of the thirteen tricks they expect to win. Partners add their bids together.
  4. A bid of Nil means you will win no tricks. Make it for a hundred points, fail and lose a hundred.
  5. Each player plays one card. You must follow the suit that was led if you can.
  6. If you have none of the suit led, you may play a spade. The highest spade wins the trick.
  7. You cannot lead a spade until one has been played on an earlier trick, unless spades are all you hold.
  8. A team that makes its bid scores ten points per trick bid. Falling short loses ten per trick bid.
  9. Each extra trick is a bag worth one point, but every ten bags cost a hundred points. The first team to five hundred wins.
  10. Deal Circle Spades is coming soon to Google Play and iOS, with fair computer partners, daily deals and a journey.